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Page 39(Chronicles of Froissart)

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of Juliers, sir Arnold de Baquehem and the lord of Fauquemont. These lords be they that may make most men of war in short space of any that I know : they are good men of war, they may well make ten thousand men of war, so they have wages thereafter : they are people that would gladly win advantage. If it were so that the king my son, your master, might get these lords to be on his part, and so to come into these parts, he might well go over the water of Oise and seek out king Philip to fight with him.' With this answer these ambassadors returned into England to the king and reported all that they had done, whereof the king had great joy and was well comforted. These tidings came into France and multiplied little and little, so that king Philip's enterprise of the said croisey began to assuage and wear cold, and he countermanded his officers to cease of making of any further provision, till he knew more what king Edward would do. Then king Edward ordained ten bannerets and forty other knights and sent them over the sea to Valenciennes, and the bishop of Lincoln with them, to the intent to treat with the lords of the Empire, such as the earl of Hainault had named. When they were come to Valenciennes, each of them kept a great estate and port, and spared nothing, no more than if the king of England had been there in proper person, whereby they did get great renown and praise. They had with them young bachelors, who had each of them one of their eyen closed with a piece of silk: it was said how they had made a vow among the ladies of their country, that they would not see but with one eye, till they had done some deeds of arms in France: howbeit they would not be known thereof. And when they had been well feasted at Valenciennes, then the bishop of Lincoln and part of his company went to the duke of Brabant, who feasted them greatly and agreed and promised to sustain the king of England and all his company in his country, so that he might go and come armed and unarmed, at his pleasure, and to give him the best counsel he could. And also, if the king of England would defy the French king, that he would do the same, and enter into the country of France with men of war, so that their wages might be borne, to the number of a thousand men of arms. Thus then the lords returned again to Valenciennes, and did so much. by messengers and by promise of gold and silver, that the duke of Gueldres, who was the king's brother-in-law, and the marquis of Juliers, the archbishop of Cologne and Waleran his brother, and the lord of Fauquemont came to Valenciennes to speak with these lords of England before the earl of Hainault and the lord John his brother. And by the means of a great sum of florins, that each of them should have for themselves and for their men, they made promise to defy the French king and to go with the king of England when it pleased him, with a certain men of war; promising also to get other lords to take their part for wages, such as be beyond the river of Rhine and be able to bring good numbers of men of war. Then the lords of Almaine took their leave and returned into their own countries, and the Englishmen tarried still with the earl of Hainault, and sent certain messengers to the bishop of Liege and would gladly have had him on their party; but he would never be against the French king, for he was become his man and entered into his fealty. King Charles of Bohemia was not desired, for they knew well he was so firmly joined with the French king by reason of the marriage of John duke of Normandy, who had to wife the king's daughter, whereby they knew well he would do nothing against the French king.

CHAPTER XXIX

How that Jaques d'Arteveld governed all Flanders.

IN this season there was great discord between the earl of Flanders and the Flemings : for they would not obey him, nor he durst not abide in Flanders but in great peril. And in the town of Gaunt there was a man, a. maker of honey1, I called

1 'Qui avoit este brasseur de miel,' 'who had been a brewer of mead.' It seems probable that